The Patrol Unit consists of nine sergeants, 38 patrol officers and six community service officers. Patrol officers are assigned to permanent geographic areas to interact with specific neighborhoods and to develop relationships with the people they serve. The department also provides several opportunities within the patrol function to gain expertise in other specialty areas. These include:

Canine Unit: The police department has maintained two canine handlers since the program’s inception in 1982. Currently, both dogs are German Shepherds that came to our agency from the Czech Republic and are graduates from the St. Paul Police K-9 Academy. While the canines are used primarily for crime suppression, building searches, tracking and narcotic detection, they are also available for public speaking and demonstrations to service clubs, schools and other organizations and groups.

DART Team: The Domestic Abuse Response Team consists of one sergeant, eight officers, one dispatcher and a citizen volunteer. This very successful team assists in the investigation of cases of domestic violence, interacting closely with investigators, prosecutors, advocates, courts, probation officers and the community. Through this collaboration, issues of domestic violence may be identified, victims are given support and resources, and strong cases may be made to hold batters accountable.

Emergency Action Group—Tactical Team: The EAG Tactical Team consists of 14 officers and two paramedics skilled in tactics and equipped with weapons and gear beyond that issued to individual patrol officers. The primary role of this team is to provide specialized and highly skilled support in any situation where the capabilities of the team are necessary to conduct tactical operations in a high-risk environment. EAG missions may include barricaded suspect searches, high-risk search and arrest warrant service, hostage rescue, and protective operations. Team members are trained to use a variety of less-lethal and traditional weapons.

Emergency Action Group—Negotiation/Hostage/Crisis Management Team: The EAG Negotiation/Hostage/Crisis Management Team responds to critical incidents involving barricaded suspects, suicidal persons and hostage situations. Comprised of seven officers and one crime analyst, the purpose of the team is to handle the negotiation efforts during critical incidents and to provide intelligence as well as technical support to the incident command post. The goal of the team is to bring critical incidents to a non-violent conclusion through dialogue and negotiation.

Field Training Officers: FTOs are those officers who train new recruits in the 16-week field training program, introducing and instructing recruits on the department philosophy of law enforcement through example. FTOs also conduct background investigations on employment candidates.

Physical Evidence Officers: PEOs are specially trained in the collection of forensic evidence and the processing of crime scenes, and are an integral part in the fight against crime and the prosecution of offenders. Additional training expertise has been received in the areas of blood spatter analysis, fingerprint identification, various light source techniques and casing for shoe prints and tire tracks. This team is comprised of nine officers and two sergeants.

Traffic Unit: Burnsville’s efforts to get motorists to “slow down and keep to the limit” are enforced through a one-officer Traffic Unit to coordinate enforcement and education activities. While Burnsville Police neighborhood officers continue to (and always will) enforce traffic laws, the specialized Traffic Unit is focused specifically on traffic and pedestrian safety issues.

Use of Force Instructors: These officers are responsible for the training of arrest and control techniques for our sworn personnel, as well as in all aspects of deadly force and firearms training. They are experts in the field of pain compliance and handcuffing techniques, baton usage, and the legal ramifications of using less-lethal force